Racism in football - Coursework Example

RACISM IN FOOTBALL Rationale Social vices remain some of the activities that have resulted in the transformation of the social activities and the introduction of numerous regulations. Social prejudices have continuously affected different social places and eliminating them remains a fundamental challenge. Racism, for example, has remained a major challenge to the governing body of football, as it persistently continues to become evident in many football matches. Despite the game of football being played for social benefits and entertainment to the community, racism renders these potential benefits of football meaningless to the affected individuals. While regulations have been established seeking to provide a remedy for the problem of racism in football, the vice still continues to affect some individuals involved within the sport. Aim The aim of this research is identifying how the vice is commonly undertaken within the setting of football in seeking to establish how the regulations fail in controlling the occurrence of the vice. The study aims at identifying the most vulnerable races as well as the offenders who instigate the racist attitudes in football. Objectives of the research This research will be conducted with the purpose of achieving the following objectives; To identify the most common approaches through which the vice is perpetrated To identify the most commonly targeted individuals within the football community. To identify the most vulnerable races of individuals To provide football stakeholders with a direction for presenting remedy to the problem of racism. METHODOLOGY Research design The research design is an exploratory research that will be utilised in seeking to provide insights into the problem of racism in football. This research will be a mixed method research because of the various aspects of data collection and the kind of data requisite for the study. For the purposes of this research, racism will be defined as the abuse of players, fans and officials because of their skin colour or ethnicity. These are the major stakeholders who might be present during a football match, and stand a chance of being subjected to racism remarks and gestures. Qualitative data will be collected regarding the approaches that have been utilised in undertaking racism within the football community. Quantitative data will also be essential in determining the most affected races in order to aid in the development of remedies to the affected races. The adoption of this approach is mainly because of the nature of information being sought, which will engross a blend of qualitative and quantitative approaches (Creswell 2009). The utilisation of exploratory design is essential when investigating such phenomenon because the design presents a platform for investigation different aspects within a single study. The nature of information collected within an exploratory research can be effectively utilised in understanding various elements of the topic being studied. Through the utilisation of an exploratory research, key issues that result in the occurrence and prevalence of racism within football could become identified. This can easily result in the prioritisation of the various aspects of the problem, in seeking to offer a lasting way out to the dilemma. The elements being researched will be effectively understood through compilation of both qualitative and quantitative data. This is a fundamental advantage for the utilisation of mixed methods in conducting research. The utilisation of mixed methods enables researchers to gain pragmatic perspectives towards understanding the elements being researched (Creswell & Clark 2007). Data collection Different approaches can be utilised in data collection for exploratory researches being conducted within the framework of different topics. The methods that will be utilised within the context of this research are all exploratory and will seek to enhance the knowledge database regarding racism in football. The following approaches will be utilised in the data collection process. Reports The researchers will explore research reports that have been published within different settings addressing the issues related to racism in football. Since the research deals with an already existing problem, secondary research from other materials is essential in providing critical data, which could help support the findings of the research. These researches provide essential guides in establishing leads towards identifying the occurrence of racism and the most targeted individuals. Researches that have been undertaken by other individuals and the reports from the football governing body are essential in providing background information to the problem of racism in football. These researches become fundamental guidelines in the development and formulation of research objectives before conducting this research. The researchers will utilize published reports in seeking to identify the pertinent issues facing the football community, which have resulted from racism and other related vices. Online archival research This type of information gathering method involves retrieving information from online archival records. These records are contained within institutional archive repositories or custodian organizations, charged with ensuring the safe storage of such archival information. The websites of these institutions and other environmental organizations shall provide the researchers with immensely valuable information pertaining racism. This historical information gathered from these sources are essential in understanding the regulations which have been placed and how racism has transformed through a long period of time. Historical information will be essential within this exploratory research in understanding the history of the problem and determining the possible solution which might be adopted. While there are numerous factors that may affect the occurrence and determine the target groups for racism, historical information remains essential in establishing the general trend for occurrence of the problem. Case study These studies will be utilized in collecting information regarding various instances when racism has occurred in football matches and other related activities. These case studies provide information regarding the occurrence of racism within football matches. Reports, published in different areas regarding racist activities, have been utilized in the decision-making process regarding remedies for the problem. These cases will be utilized in the analyzing of qualitative data aimed at determining the common targets for many racist remarks. Data analysis The research will utilise multivariate analysis in enhancing the process of data analysis following collection of the information. This will be essential in ensuring analysis of the different study variables identified within the context of the research. The research seeks to answer various questions, and the fundamental focus of the analysis will be based on ensuring the effectiveness in providing relevant information to the research questions. The existing associations between the dependent variables within the research will be analysed in seeking to understand the impact of racism upon the various stakeholders involved in a football match; fans, players and officials. Exploratory data analysis will be utilised in examining the qualitative data which will be collected within the research. This will be effective in analysing the impact of racism upon the different stakeholders involved within a football match. Since the research will be testing different variables, the significance level will be adjusted in seeking to reduce the effect of type one error on the findings. This will be fundamental in seeking to ensure the results presented within the context of the research can be effectively generalised and utilised within a different setting and present relevant information, within different contexts. Validity and reliability Validity of the findings refers to the aspect of answering the research questions through the data collected during the research. Statistical methods will be utilised in seeking to validate quantitative data, which will be collected in relation to the prevalence of racism within the context of football. Validation of the research findings is essential in seeking to ensure the reliability of the results and findings that will be provided within the report. This will enable the testing of the hypothesis against the findings of the research in seeking to accept or reject the hypothesis. The statistical validation will involve ensuring effectiveness on the statistical tests and measurement procedures for the various variables being tested. Internal validity will be utilised in the assessment of the qualitative data collected on the impact of racism upon the various stakeholders. The validations of this kind of data will be aimed at establishing the existence of a relationship between the variables being studied within the research (McPhail 2007). This will be utilised to establish the existence of a relationship between racist remarks and the individuals targeted by the racist remarks. The reliability of the results will be established through analysis of other similar research findings available from different sources that will be analysed during the literature review. The comparison of other findings with the findings of this research will be significant in ensuring reliability of the results. CONTENT Racial abuse in football is a common problem in many expanses of the world and occurs in different forms. In most cases, racial attacks are commonly based on the skin colour of the individuals, and result from the affiliation between a person and the opposing teams. The nationality and ethnicity of the individuals have also been utilised in many cases as a reason for racial abuses on players. Forms of racism The racist activities during football matches commonly take different forms and are directed at different individuals. Chants These can be defined as repeated uttering of words that are in concert of many individuals. Chants are used in cheering for teams, but have been utilised in undertaking racism in football matches. In the early 1970s, many racist chants involved crowds making monkey noises when black players were on the field. While chanting racist slogans in football matches remains a criminal offence, the law cannot prosecute individuals who shout such words alone since that cannot constitute chanting. This has contributed to many individuals shouting abusive racist slogans, yet failing to get prosecuted. Gesture Racist gestures remain common in many places where football is being played. Since chanting has been illegalised, many fans have resorted to the use of racism gestures like throwing bananas to black players. Other signs have also been used by fans like making mascots that depict mockery to members of the opposing teams. Intimidation This is commonly conducted by fans seeking to intimidate players from the opposing teams who appear to be threats. This commonly occurs through booing players whenever they have the ball. While booing might not be considered racism, the approach and gestures associated with the sound can sometimes become similar to racism abuses. Target groups of racism Racial abuses commonly target different individuals who are involved in the football match. Players This has been the fundamental target of racial abuse and remains the common type of racism in football. Nationality and ethnicity of footballers are the greatest sources of abuse directed to footballers in different regions of the world. Many players endure racial abuses when playing in regions where their races become deemed inferior. Black players across Europe commonly experience racial abuses when playing for their clubs in Europe. A regular gesture used by fans has been throwing bananas to players, which is commonly done by fans (BBC 2014a). The racism abuses targeting black players come as a result of the ethnic background of these individuals rather than their nationality. Existing relationships between individuals and teams have become common reasons for perpetration of racial abuses against individuals. Many of these abuses come in the form of gestures and players being booed by fans from opposing teams. There have however been cases of players being booed by their fans for poor performance on the pitch (Hoult 2008). This commonly occurs when players are deemed to have contributed to team’s poor performance. Despite teams performing poorly and losing games, it becomes common for fans to target an individual in the team as the cause of the failure. This is the fundamental cause for many of the observed. Fans Football fans remain some of the major contributors of the racism vice within the football society. Club fans have continuously been accused of booing players and even other fans. In most cases, fans have been both perpetrators and recipients of racism abuses. Across Europe, chanting remains one of the common ways which fans utilise in cheering their teams. Chanting racist slogans has been banned in many countries by the European football governing body EUFA. Acts of football disorder across Europe have been closely associated with chanting of racist slogans by fans. These chants are commonly directed to players of fans of opposing teams. In most cases, racial abuses against football players are castigated by fans. Many regulations and penalties for these experiences involve banning of fans into the stadiums (BBC 2014b). These measures are commonly utilised in seeking to initiate an element of controlling the chants by fans Officials Football officials rarely become victims of racial abuse but have been accused of being perpetrators of the abusive. Accusations have been commonly made by players regarding the conduct of officials. While many of them do not become directly involved in initiating racist slogans against other individuals, as members of the committee governing football matches, they are expected to initiate control during the playing time. Players commonly report direct racist abuses to the referee while a football match is in progress. Many times, referees have commonly neglected these claims and failed to take apposite action aligned with the offenders. Many times there lacks proof of the racist claims which players make, and the accused parties commonly deny the accusations (Walker 1998). These denials and the lack of evidence result in most cases failing to be handled effectively. EVALUATION As a topic that lacks evidence to show the accuracy of the data presented, exploratory research presents the best approach for undertaking a study in the field. This research facilitates the researcher to gather information pertaining different aspects of the topic, hence gain insight into the content of the topic. While undertaking such research remains a difficult undertaking because of the limited information available and difficulties gaining access to credible information. While racism remains a common problem in many regions across the world, prosecution of the offenders becomes extremely difficult because of the difficulty in proofing occurrence of the vice. The statistics existing in relation to the occurrence of racism remain minimal and do not suffice the development of effective remedies. The data collection methods utilised in conducting the research are mainly secondary sources that cannot be confirmed statistically through any means. Many of the findings are based on published reports, and confirmatory analysis cannot be performed upon the collected data. Despite the inability for the findings to be confirmed statistically, these sources are reliable sources as the publishers are organisation that have fundamental concerns regarding the problems associated with racism in football. The existing regulations have been formulated through the utilisation of the information contained within these reports hence they present the most reliable information on the field. Collecting data on the topic from primary sources is extremely difficult, and such information might lack proof of certainty. Bibliography BBC, 2014a. AC Milan: Bananas thrown at players by Atalanta fans. BBC Sport. Available at: http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27363859 [Accessed August 29, 2014]. BBC, 2014b. Urawa Reds play to empty stadium after fans banned for racist banner. BBC Sport. Available at: http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/26704368 [Accessed August 29, 2014]. Creswell, J.W., 2009. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches 3rd ed., Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Creswell, J.W. & Clark, V.L.P., 2007. Designing and conducting mixed methods research. : Sage publications, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Hoult, N., 2008. Top 10: Football hate figures. The Telegraph. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/england/3202229/Top-10-Football-hate-figures-Football.html. McPhail, S.M., 2007. Alternative Validation Strategies: Developing New and Leveraging Existing Validity Evidence, San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons. Walker, P., 1998. Football: Harkness denies racist slur. The Independent. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-harkness-denies-racist-slur-1148631.html.  Read More